Elijah Pierce

1882 - 1984

By the time Elijah Pierce was seven years old, he was already giving away wooden animals he had carved. He was born in Baldwyn, Mississippi, where his father, a former slave, was a church deacon. At 16, Pierce apprenticed himself to a barber and continued this trade for most of his life. He married for the third time in 1954, after his first and second wives died, and he had two sons. In 1924 he moved to Columbus, Ohio, where he was ordained as a preacher. He began making painted carved wooden panels to illustrate his sermons, believing that his creative ability was a divine calling. One of his best-known pieces is The Book of Wood, an illustration in bas-relief of the life of Christ. Pierce did not restrict himself to religious imagery but also included scenes from history as well as representations of contemporary personalities, particularly African Americans who had made a name for themselves. The panels were embellished with symbols such as trees, fruit and foliage, and he often added glitter. In 1954, whilst continuing his ministry, Pierce opened his own barber shop in Columbus, Ohio, and hung his work on its walls. He went on to carve full time and eventually changed the name of the shop to the Elijah Pierce Art Gallery. ¹